Comic Review: Black Widow (2019-) #1

Black Widow (2019-) #1

Marvel Comics

Writers: Jen & Sylvia Soska

Artist: Flaviano

Black Widow died in 2017’s Secret Empire. As is the nature of the Marvel universe, she didn’t stay dead for too long. Appearing in the Tales of Suspense miniseries in early 2018, and sporadic appearances in The Punisher, Natasha Romanoff is back in a miniseries of her own!

I’m not a big fan of horror movies, so I’m unfamiliar with the work of Jen & Sylvia Soska. So, I really have no idea of what to expect out of this series. But I like the direction this first issue is taking. Still technically dead to the world at large, Black Widow is working undercover with Captain America. Stopping an attack on a New Year’s Eve party in New York, Black Widow needs to release her killer instinct. So she heads to Madripoor, the criminal safe haven of the Marvel Universe, to find worthy targets.

The majority of this issue is the Black Widow/Cap team up, with the back half kicking the main story into action. I like the stuff with Cap, they bring up Secret Empire and how he was replaced by the Hydra-Cap. It’s something that I don’t think gets the focus it deserves, and I’m glad it’s in here since Hydra-Cap killed the Black Widow. Besides that, the two share a nice rapport that reminds me of the relationship between them in Captain America: The Winter Soldier movie. I think the Soskas capture the character and her thoughts. Especially when it comes to her thinking like a spy.

Flaviano is an artist that I’m unfamiliar with. Some Google searching says that I’ve read some comics his art in them. I like the art, I should say that. There’s a lot of good things going on with it. Black Widow looks good, Captain America looks good. The action isn’t the most dynamic, but it’s there and you can tell what’s going on easily. There are good colors (from Veronica Gandini). It’s more of a cartoony, softer kind of style, and I’m not sure if it’ll match the darker tone this comic seems to be taking.

Besides her appearances in Avengers-related titles, I’m not too familiar with Black Widow as a character. I’ve never done a deep dive on her history in comics. I say that because I like the character as it’s presented in this comic. It fits with what I know about the character. There’s a lot to like in this comic. A team up with Captain America, Black Widow wearing Wolverine’s “Patch” disguise. The art is good and enjoyable, even though I’m not 100% on it yet. This is a good first issue, and I’m looking forward to seeing where Black Widow goes from here.